ROCKWOOL
Rockwool is coming to Jefferson County Wv and they say that they will come no matter what.
There are multiple organization in this fight for and against Rockwool. I will list the main ones below.
Pro Rockwool
The people fighting for Rockwool are the same ones who brought them into the county, but under a new name. They call themselves Jefferson County Prosperity. After the uproar of the citizens of Jefferson County about the Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA) bringing in Rockwool, 12 of its members resigned. Some of those members then went on to found Jefferson County Prosperity. They claim that they are fighting for Jefferson County by bring heavy industry to the area.
You can check out their page here: https://jeffersoncountyprosperity.com/
Anti Rockwool
The group of people who are against Rockwool have also come together to try to stop Rockwool from building in Jefferson county. They are called Jefferson County Vision and also know as Concerned Citizens Against Rockwool(CCAR).
They can be found here: https://www.jeffersoncountyvision.com
A few reasons why is this even being debated?
You could be thinking that Rockwool is a great insulation, why are people against the plant being built?
Here are just a few of the reasons why people are against the plant.
- Air Polution
In the table below you can see a list of pollutants that Rockwool has applied for in their air permit. More Details can be found here: http://www.rockwoolpermit.info/major.html, https://www.jeffersoncountyvision.com/toxic-air/
2. Location
There are restrictions on building a school next to an industrial plant, but the reverse is not true. Apparently when people were thinking about the safety for schools no one thought this would happen.
http://wvmetronews.com/2018/08/28/jefferson-county-residents-raise-concerns-about-rockwool-facility/
https://www.toxicrockwool.com/posts/jefferson-county-schools-at-risk
3. Impact to already existing industry
Another big impact that ties into the air pollution issue are the industries that already exist in and around Jefferson County.
4. Possible danger to water aquifers and the watershed
It seems like a good portion of Jefferson County citizens are against it, but the elected officials appear set on making it happen.
The sad part in all this is that the impact will spreads way past Jefferson county. The air pollution will be traveling into Maryland and Virginia. If there is any groundwater pollution it will make its way to the Potomac river. If that happened it could cause issues in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Since the plant is being built in West Virginia where the restriction around pollution are lax, there is not much that Maryland or Virginia can do to protect themselves from the pollutants being released bu the Rockwool plant.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you would like more details on what Rockwool and the officials of Jefferson County are up to check out:
https://www.jeffersoncountyvision.com/, https://www.toxicrockwool.com/, https://www.toxicrockwool.com/posts/talking-points-rockwool-loudoun-county. https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.rockwoolpermit.info/Rockwool+One-pager.pdf
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/business/despite-opposition-in-eastern-panhandle-rockwool-says-it-s-undeterred/article_73963872-e6ed-5b86-986d-065960ddb780.html3. Impact to already existing industry
Another big impact that ties into the air pollution issue are the industries that already exist in and around Jefferson County.
- Horse Racing in Charles Town
- Tourism in the area
- Vineyards in London county
- Organic Farming
- Apiaries
- Plus many more...
All these already existing industries are at risk once the Rockwool plant starts.
4. Possible danger to water aquifers and the watershed
The location in which Rockwool is building their plant is in a sinkhole hotspot. This means that if there is any runoff or leak from their plant it has a high possibility of contaminating the groundwater. Checkout the below link for more info.
The sad part in all this is that the impact will spreads way past Jefferson county. The air pollution will be traveling into Maryland and Virginia. If there is any groundwater pollution it will make its way to the Potomac river. If that happened it could cause issues in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Since the plant is being built in West Virginia where the restriction around pollution are lax, there is not much that Maryland or Virginia can do to protect themselves from the pollutants being released bu the Rockwool plant.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you would like more details on what Rockwool and the officials of Jefferson County are up to check out:
https://www.jeffersoncountyvision.com/, https://www.toxicrockwool.com/, https://www.toxicrockwool.com/posts/talking-points-rockwool-loudoun-county. https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.rockwoolpermit.info/Rockwool+One-pager.pdf
https://www.localdvm.com/news/west-virginia/the-new-rockwool-plant-may-affect-the-local-honey-bees/1678168341
https://dep.wv.gov/daq/Documents/December%202017%20Applications/ROXUL%20Air%20Quality%20Modeling%20Report%2012-18-2017.pdf
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